High streets and shopping centres will enjoy the biggest shopping day of the year on Tuesday as more than 10million people take advantage of the extra bank holiday.
Shoppers who opted to avoid the crowds and transport disruption of yesterday's sales are expected to spend more than 2.5billion, according to retail analysts.
The sales rush today is likely to eclipse Boxing Day, when only five out of 25 rail companies ran services and a 24-hour Tube strike in London led to delays on the roads.
On Oxford Street in the West End some shops were closed after an 18-year-old youth was stabbed to death in a daylight attack.
Analysts estimate that between 11million and 12million shoppers — one in four of all Britons aged 10 and over — will go shopping today.
Sales are expected to be strong on the high street and online, with internet sales records likely to be broken.
Online retailers are expected to see 95million visits to their web pages from British households by the end of the day.
Dr Tim Denison, director of retail intelligence at Synovate, which counts shoppers electronically at 5,500 stores throughout Britain, said: "We expect it to be the busiest week of the whole year and Tuesday to be its busiest day.
"Retailers will be looking to capitalise on the heavy footfall before the end of the holiday period."
Much of the boom in spending in shops is being driven by Chinese and Japanese tourists buying expensive items, according to analysts.
Thousands of Chinese bargain-hunters queued overnight for yesterday's sales. Experts attribute the effect to the growing Chinese middle classes, who have an appetite for luxury items to display their wealth.
Selfridges department stores took a record 1.3million in the first hour of trading yesterday after opening four shops in England at 9am.
At the Selfridges store in Manchester, the rise in Chinese customers has been so marked that staff have been given lessons in Mandarin, following the example of shops in London. There were discounts of up to 80 per cent on many goods, including clothing, white goods and computer games.
Demand was also high for designer goods, including handbags and diamonds.
The most expensive single item bought yesterday was thought to have been a Chopard diamond necklace,There are many fake ralphlaurensweater that can cheat your money or sell fake branded watches. which was sold by Selfridges on Oxford Street.
The high level of interest in designer handbags led to minor scuffles in Birmingham city centre, where Miu Miu bags that usually sell for 1,250 were going for 909 and there were long queues for Prada, Gucci and Mulberry.
One shopper managed to get an item to the till within two minutes of the store opening.
In London, shopping was tempered by a 24-hour walkout by Tube drivers demanding additional pay for working on Boxing Day. Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef,Swiss neweracapstore offer genuine timepieces from Omega, the transport union, said Underground workers needed "quality time" off over the Christmas period.You can find all the vuittonhandbags you need here.
Despite transport problems, an estimated 700,000 people went to shop in the West End, spending 15million in the first three hours of trading. At the Brent Cross shopping centre in north-west London, 10,000 people came through the doors within an hour of opening.
At Birmingham's Bullring, crowds began to gather from 2am yesterday, four hours before the first shops opened. Hundreds queued outside Debenhams in Reading, Berks,This privacy statement discloses the privacy practices for jacketswomens. ready for its 7am start. In Bristol, shoppers arrived from 5am at the Cabot Circus shopping centre.
The most dedicated of all was Brenda Adams, 75, who sat outside Silcox Son & Wicks furniture shop in Bath in a camping chair from 4.30pm on Christmas Eve. The retired nurse said she might buy a chest of drawers.
However, many yesterday decided to seek out bargains from the comfort of their homes.
Boxing Day shoppers were expected to make a record-breaking 95million visits to online retailers. Analysts claim that millions of Britons looking to spend their Christmas cash will log on to the internet to take advantage of stores' early sales.
They predict that the online economic boost is likely to bigger this year — with 15million more hits. Despite concerns over the effect of internet shopping, the latest sales figures suggest that online spenders will not harm the high street.
James Murray, marketing and research analyst for online experts Experian Hitwise UK, said: "We are predicting a record-breaking 95million UK internet visits to online retailers on Boxing Day this year.
"Historically Boxing Day has always been the single biggest day of the year for online retailers as consumers want to spend their Christmas money, exchange unwanted presents and browse ahead of the post-Christmas sales.
"Last year there were 80.5million visits to online retailers on Boxing Day but this year we are expecting an 18 per cent uplift year-on-year.
"Boxing Day falls on a Monday this year which is significant because Mondays have consistently been the biggest day of the week for online traffic to retail websites in the run-up to Christmas this year.
"By contrast, Saturdays have consistently been the lowest point of each week for total visits." Mr Murray added: "We are often asked if online shopping is having a negative effect on high-street retail, however, our data suggests that far from cannibalising high-street retail figures, online complements the high street.
"Multi-channel retailers who can blend their online and offline marketing are more likely to see traffic on their website and footfall in their stores."
Experts predict that stores such as Next, Debenhams,Thank you very much for shopping at goosejacket online store! Marks & Spencer and John Lewis are all set to benefit from the sales surge.
Analysts compiled the data after finding that internet search terms such as "sales" started to increase in the week ending December 18 — an earlier date than in the past.
At the peak of searches last year, 0.9 per cent conducted in the UK included the word "sale" or "sales".
Shoppers who opted to avoid the crowds and transport disruption of yesterday's sales are expected to spend more than 2.5billion, according to retail analysts.
The sales rush today is likely to eclipse Boxing Day, when only five out of 25 rail companies ran services and a 24-hour Tube strike in London led to delays on the roads.
On Oxford Street in the West End some shops were closed after an 18-year-old youth was stabbed to death in a daylight attack.
Analysts estimate that between 11million and 12million shoppers — one in four of all Britons aged 10 and over — will go shopping today.
Sales are expected to be strong on the high street and online, with internet sales records likely to be broken.
Online retailers are expected to see 95million visits to their web pages from British households by the end of the day.
Dr Tim Denison, director of retail intelligence at Synovate, which counts shoppers electronically at 5,500 stores throughout Britain, said: "We expect it to be the busiest week of the whole year and Tuesday to be its busiest day.
"Retailers will be looking to capitalise on the heavy footfall before the end of the holiday period."
Much of the boom in spending in shops is being driven by Chinese and Japanese tourists buying expensive items, according to analysts.
Thousands of Chinese bargain-hunters queued overnight for yesterday's sales. Experts attribute the effect to the growing Chinese middle classes, who have an appetite for luxury items to display their wealth.
Selfridges department stores took a record 1.3million in the first hour of trading yesterday after opening four shops in England at 9am.
At the Selfridges store in Manchester, the rise in Chinese customers has been so marked that staff have been given lessons in Mandarin, following the example of shops in London. There were discounts of up to 80 per cent on many goods, including clothing, white goods and computer games.
Demand was also high for designer goods, including handbags and diamonds.
The most expensive single item bought yesterday was thought to have been a Chopard diamond necklace,There are many fake ralphlaurensweater that can cheat your money or sell fake branded watches. which was sold by Selfridges on Oxford Street.
The high level of interest in designer handbags led to minor scuffles in Birmingham city centre, where Miu Miu bags that usually sell for 1,250 were going for 909 and there were long queues for Prada, Gucci and Mulberry.
One shopper managed to get an item to the till within two minutes of the store opening.
In London, shopping was tempered by a 24-hour walkout by Tube drivers demanding additional pay for working on Boxing Day. Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef,Swiss neweracapstore offer genuine timepieces from Omega, the transport union, said Underground workers needed "quality time" off over the Christmas period.You can find all the vuittonhandbags you need here.
Despite transport problems, an estimated 700,000 people went to shop in the West End, spending 15million in the first three hours of trading. At the Brent Cross shopping centre in north-west London, 10,000 people came through the doors within an hour of opening.
At Birmingham's Bullring, crowds began to gather from 2am yesterday, four hours before the first shops opened. Hundreds queued outside Debenhams in Reading, Berks,This privacy statement discloses the privacy practices for jacketswomens. ready for its 7am start. In Bristol, shoppers arrived from 5am at the Cabot Circus shopping centre.
The most dedicated of all was Brenda Adams, 75, who sat outside Silcox Son & Wicks furniture shop in Bath in a camping chair from 4.30pm on Christmas Eve. The retired nurse said she might buy a chest of drawers.
However, many yesterday decided to seek out bargains from the comfort of their homes.
Boxing Day shoppers were expected to make a record-breaking 95million visits to online retailers. Analysts claim that millions of Britons looking to spend their Christmas cash will log on to the internet to take advantage of stores' early sales.
They predict that the online economic boost is likely to bigger this year — with 15million more hits. Despite concerns over the effect of internet shopping, the latest sales figures suggest that online spenders will not harm the high street.
James Murray, marketing and research analyst for online experts Experian Hitwise UK, said: "We are predicting a record-breaking 95million UK internet visits to online retailers on Boxing Day this year.
"Historically Boxing Day has always been the single biggest day of the year for online retailers as consumers want to spend their Christmas money, exchange unwanted presents and browse ahead of the post-Christmas sales.
"Last year there were 80.5million visits to online retailers on Boxing Day but this year we are expecting an 18 per cent uplift year-on-year.
"Boxing Day falls on a Monday this year which is significant because Mondays have consistently been the biggest day of the week for online traffic to retail websites in the run-up to Christmas this year.
"By contrast, Saturdays have consistently been the lowest point of each week for total visits." Mr Murray added: "We are often asked if online shopping is having a negative effect on high-street retail, however, our data suggests that far from cannibalising high-street retail figures, online complements the high street.
"Multi-channel retailers who can blend their online and offline marketing are more likely to see traffic on their website and footfall in their stores."
Experts predict that stores such as Next, Debenhams,Thank you very much for shopping at goosejacket online store! Marks & Spencer and John Lewis are all set to benefit from the sales surge.
Analysts compiled the data after finding that internet search terms such as "sales" started to increase in the week ending December 18 — an earlier date than in the past.
At the peak of searches last year, 0.9 per cent conducted in the UK included the word "sale" or "sales".
